Home Building Blog - Eco-Friendly and Green
Autoclub pushes for greener driving
October 16th, 2006 by Ryan JohnstonFound this story today on cbc.ca.
Drive responsibly and help save the environment, the president of the Canadian Automobile Association said on Monday as the club unveiled its plan to address climate change and improve air quality.
The club, which has a membership of 4.9 million members, partnered with the environmental group Pollution Probe to produce a report titled Driving Towards a Cleaner Environment to be released later this year. The report calls on the federal government to encourage Canadians to change their habits through incentives and education initiatives.
“We’re … seeing a shift in attitude on the part of Canadians and we want to help them in terms of ‘How do I do something that’s environmentally responsible?”‘ CAA president David Flewelling told Reuters.
The report encouraged consumers to use public transportation, car sharing, and car pooling as a means to help the environment.
Read more about the pollution fighting auto club.
Green friendly beach house renovation
October 2nd, 2006 by Ryan JohnstonFound at the Ventura County Star. Richard and Robin Birney are remodelling their 1950s beach house with green technology and building techniques. Their story has been recently featured in their local newspaper.
UPDATE: This story is no longer on the original website 
Green friendly beach house renovation
The Birneys chose to go green with their remodel for two simple reasons: They knew it would be better for the people living inside their two-story home and better for the Earth.
“There is only one planet, and we need to better use our limited resources,” said Richard Birney, who works for a wholesale tire distributor.
The couple replaced their aging, energy-chugging appliances with new, “Energy-star” models and put a “solatube” skylight in the bathroom to allow natural light.
Their home often was freezing cold in winter and hot in summer, so they pumped formaldehyde-free insulation in outside walls and interior walls, which also will reduce noise.
They scrapped an air-conditioning system by improving their house’s cross ventilation and installed recycled bamboo or “plyboo” flooring instead of carpet.
Read the rest of the article online.